Rotary seal



Ap l 946 w. GILBERT, SR 2,398,783

ROTARY SEAL Filed Jan. 19, 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fiyt1.

J2 Zhwentor httbrneg mu rm GILBERT, SR.

" April23,il946. y y w. GILBERf, 'SR "7 2,598,783

ROTARY SEAL Filed Jan. is, 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 k Fig. 5.

invento WALTER GILBERT, SR.

(Ittorneg Patented Aprr23, i i

asserts nor-any snar.

' Walter Gilbert, sa, Johnstown,

. Homer City, Pa, a corpora-.-

Syntron Company, tion of Delaware 1a., auirnor to Application January 19, 1942, Serial No. 427,253 a 6 Claims.

The present invention relates to apparatu for sealing relatively rotating members against leakage of gas or any other fluid therebetween, and is particularly applicable to the sealing of a rapidly rotating shaft.

It is an object of the invention to provide a seal of this character which is applicable toa variety of installations or uses.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a seal of this character having long life and great durability under severe operating condi- A further object is the provision of a seal which is self adjusting to take u wear, and which requires little or no servicing or lubrication after initial installation.

In accordance with the present invention I provide a seal comprising a member or ring of a solid unctuous material, such as, bonded graphite, surrounding the shaft to be sealed and held in abutting sealing relation to a plane surface by means of a solid expansible or resilient sealing sleeve, or the like, which prevents leakage at on periphery of the ring. Preferably the contacting or sealing face of the ring or of the abutting surface is formed to gradually increase the area of contact with the abutting face as the ring or abutment wears away. Preferably also, the resilient sleeve has a truncated conical end engaging a similar truncated conical face of the mounted therein Referring to Figure i, there i shown a preferred embodiment of the invention applied to a centrifugalpump shaft, by way of example. The pump housing I has an impellerz rotatably on shaft 3, which is rotatably journalled in known manner (not shown). The housing I has a sealing compartment 5 which may be integral with the pump housing and provides "a, wall lpreferably normal to the axispf shaft 3, said wall having an aperture I through which the shaft extends. An area 8 surrounding the aperture is smoothly machined to provide a seat, and an annulus 8 of a solidunctuousmaterial i rotatably maintained in contact therewith'by means to be presently described.

The annulus 9 preferably is composed of graphite particles held together by a suitable unctuous sealing ring or backing washer there for, and if desired, the resilient sleev may be grooved circumferentially. I also prefer to back the resilient sleeve by a. spring or the like to urge it into contact with the sealing ring. I

For a more detailed description of the invent'on. reference is had to the following description and accompanying drawings, wherein Ihave shown preferred embodiments of my invention by way of example, and wherein:

Figure 1 shows a cross sectional view on a v diameter of a preferred embodiment of my invention,

Figure 2 is a cross sectional view on a diameter of a preferred form-of sealing ring,

Figure 2a is a cross sectional view showing an assembly of certain parts in Figure 1,

Figure 3 is a cross sectional view of a modification employing a rotating abutment,

Figure 4 is a cross sectional view of a further modification,

Fi ure 5 is a cross modification, and" Figure 6 is a cross sectional view'of still another modification.

sectional view of another binder, the compositionbeing known in the art. It is preferably shaped to provide on one face a surfacearea ll normal to its axis extending for about one third of its outer radius, the remainder I: of the surface being disposed at an angle .to the normal to provide a deviation from thenormal of aboutfive to ten thousandthsoi' aninch at the outer diameter, depending on the diameter of the annulus. The opposite face l3 of the annulus is frusto-conical form and i sloped at-an angle of about 25 to 35 to the normal. The internal diameter of the annulus will depend on the diameter of the shaft to be sealed and is sufficiently larger toprovide a clearance N therewith.

The annulus Sis backed by a member or sleeve I 5 of solid elastic or resilient material, such as rubber, Ameripol," Neoprene. or the like. Neoprene" is the trade name of a material Ibelieve to be polymerized ,chlorobutadiene, and Ameripol is the trade name of a material I beiieve to be a copolymer of acrylonitrile and butadiene. The member I! is in the form of a sleeve, preferably substantially triangular in cross section. the faces 18 and I1 thereof forming an angle to the normal preferably less acute than the angle of face ll. The bore surface I8 01' the sleeve I 5 forms a close flt to the shaft! and the sleeve has a circumferential kerf or groove i9 extending to a depth of about two thirds the outer radius of the member. v

A backing ring 2! has a sloping face 22 which preferably is radially corrugated and is sloped'at about the same angle as face 13, and the rear face 23 has a central boss 24 surrounding the aperture 25 which serves as a guide for a helical spring 2'. One end of spring 26 abuts the face 23 of washer ll while the opposite. end of the spring 'abutsthe impeller 2 which has a reduced portion 21 to serve as a guide therefor.

In operation the pump shaft 3 will be rotated at a relatively high speed, as is usual in the operation of centrifugal pumps, and a suction or zone of low pressure will be created adjacent the rotor shaft which requires a seal to prevent leakage of ai'r'from the exterior. Also, when the. pump is stationary it is necessary that the seal prevent leakageof fluid to the exterior of the pump. The

spring 28 urges washer 2| axially of the shaft against member l5, which latter member has a close fit on the shaft, and member I! in turn is urged by the bias of spring 28 against sealing an softer than the metal face 8, the face I I will wear ,1 sufficiently to impregnate any pores in face 9 with graphite particles, thus reducing the friction between these surfaces and reducing wear to a minimum after the initial breaking in of the seal occurs.. The area II is sufliciently narrow so as to enable theseal to be broken in relativelyrapidly but is wide enough to provide a sumcient contactgrea to insure a seal from the beginning. As the face ll becomes worn, which action is very slow after the initial breaking in period, more of face I2 is brought into the plane area ll so that the area of contact increases, thus reducing the unit pressure and further reduces the wear .of the sealing member 9. Because of the angular relationv of face l2. the gradually increasing area of contact is broken in sufficiently rapidly to prevent. excessive wear. The member 9 preferably whas' a'porosity of not more than about 8% and a shore schlerometer hardness of about 40 to 80.

, I The faces-l8 and I! of sleeve l5 preferably arenot parallel with faces [3 and 22 of sealing member 9 and washer 2| respectively. the outer periphery of kerf l9 becomes compressed in initial assembly, as shown in Figure 2a, and the compression of kerf l9 tends to cause a bulge in the face i 8 of the sleeve, as shown on an exaggerated scale at 30 (Figure 2a) and thus causes sleeve II to grip the shaft 3. The tendency of kerf l9 to assume its normal shape exerts abias on sealing member 9 which is effective to urge member 9 against its co-operating sealing face 8, even though sleeve I! may grip the shaft tightly enough to prevent the transmission of suiiicient force from spring 28 th'rough the sleeve for this purpose. This gripping of the shaft also assists in preventing unseating of member 9 by movement to the left. However, as the walls of the kerf relax, the grip of the sleeve l5 on the shaft relaxes and the spring is again .abl'eto exert its bias on the member 9. The exposed depth of kerf l9 and the sloping face l2 of member 9 also assist in reducing the axial thrust of pressure of the fluid in chamber 5 by reducing the resultant effective area exposed to such pressure. The

clearance l4 between the periphery of member 9 and shaft 3-is sealed by the sleeve [5, it being observed thatthere is no relative movement between sleeve l5 and member 9, and leakage to the exterior past the outer periphery of member3 is prevented by the sealing contact with face 8. I

have found that a durometer hardness of about vides an abutment for the other end of the spring. Washer 35 has a forward sloping face 22.

An abutment member or 'washer 31 has a rear face 38 slightly out of parallel with the face I! of sleeve l5, and its forward face comprises a section 39 normal to the shaft axis and'a' sloping portion 40 which departs from the normal by a few thousandths of an inch at its outer periphery.

The face 39 engages the flat face 4| of an unctuous ring 42 of graphite or similar material as previously described, the ring 42 being cemented to a gasket 43 which is in turn cemented to the cover 32 in sealing relationship. In this modification, the unctuous sealing member 42 is stationary and the co-operating metallic surface or seat member 31, sleeve l5, Washer 34 and spring 28 rotate with the shaft 3, leakage between'the inner periphery of member 3'! and shaft 3 being prevented by sleeve I5, while leakage past the outer periphery of member 31 is prevented by the sealing engagement with ring 42. Thus, it

. will be seen that in this modification the unctuous ringland sealing surface are transposed.

In the modification shown in Figure 4, the seat member comprises the thickened rib of a plate or diaphragm 48 clamped to the housing. 3| by a plate 41 which may be bolted or otherwise suitably secured to the housing 3|. The unctuous sealing member 49 has a normal portion H and a sloping portion 12 on one face, the portion'i.i being in engagement with the seat member .45, and the opposite face 49 of member 48 is flat; The resilient sleeve 5i has a flat face 52 engaging the fiat face 49 of the sealing member, the op-' posite sloping end It thereof being engaged by the face 22 of washer 34. The compression of the kerf l9 caused by flexing of only one lip thereof acts in a manner similar to the description in connection with sleeve i5. In this modification seat member 45 is stationary and the other parts of the seal rotate with, the shaft 3.

In the modification shown in Figure 5, the stationary housing 55 receives a sleeve 58 with a tight sealing fit, grooves 51 being provided therein which receive oil or any other sealing material to assist in preventing leakage therethrough. The sleeve preferably is composed of cast iron which preferably contains a small percentage of copper, nickel or chromium to render it less porous. The sleeve 58 provides a clearance with the rotating shaft 3 and the outer face 58 of hub 59 thereof is smooth to provide a seat.

The smoothing of face 58 preferably is accomplished by a flat carbide steel or other suitable cutting tool on a high speed turning machine with a feed set at about .001 inch. This results in a face having a flatness of about .0002 inch to .0008 and substantially free from any waves, such as would be produced by grinding or lapping the face. Also, there is no danger of any particles of grit becoming embedded in the face It of sealing member 9 and the flat face 48 is engaged by a backing plate 6!. One end of spring 26 preferably is brazed to plate 6|, and the other end of the spring engages an abutment collar 62 secured to shaft 3 by a pressed fit or in any other suitable manner. a In this modisaid ring and having end faces and a radially fication the kerf I9 is omitted and the non-parallel relation of faces l3 and I1 causes sleeve 60 to grip the shaft and resist movement toward the left, tending to open the seal.

In the modification shown in Figure 6, the shaft 3 is journalled in a suitable ball bearing assembly 65 suitably, secured in the casing 55, and at its, inner end carries a bevel gear 61 having a hub. 68 extending over a portion of the shaft. The bevel gear may rotate in a bath of oil, the seal'serving to prevent escape of oil to the exterior or toward the right, as illustrated.

said opening, a ring having a complementary sealingsurface arranged to engage and seal on the first sealing surface, a rubber sleeve adjacent disposed circumferential groove extending a substantial distance into the body of the sleeve which when free forms outwardly projecting flanges. a second ring on the other side of the sleeve, a frusto-conical face on one of said rings adjacent the sleeve, and means to urge the sleeve and rings into engagement with the frusto conical surface The casing is bored-at 69 to receive a sleeve H V in fluid tight relation thereto, the end wall I! of which provides a seating surface 13 for sealig member 9. An oil thrower 14 in the form of a flanged sleeve is secured on the hub 68 and serves as one abutment for spring 26, the spring being preferably soldered or brazed thereto. The other end of spring 26 abuts washer 6| and is soldered or brazed thereto, this washer preferably being radially serrated on the face abutting sleeve 60. The ring 14, spring 26, plate 6|, sleeve 60 and sealing ring 9 thus rotate substantially as one unit, and ring 9 bears against the fixed abutment face I3.

Various modification of the invention may. be

a made without departing from the spirit or scope thereof.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a seal the combination of a member having an opening therethrough, a second member disposed in said opening, said members being relatively rotatable, means providing an annular sealing surface carried by one of, said members and disposed substantially normal to the axis of said opening, a ring having a complementary sealing surface arranged to engage and seal on the first sealing surface, a rubber sleeve having a member engaging surface and having one end face adjacent said ring, a second ring adjacent the other end face of the sleeve, a frusto-conical face on the side of one of said rings adjacent the sleeve, the end engaging facesof the sleeve when free being non-parallel relative to the adjacent faces on the rings to provide for deformation of the sleeve, and means to urge the sleeve and rings into engagement to seal the end faces of the sleeve with the rings and deform the body of deforming the adjacent flange without substantialaxial contraction of the sleeve and forcing the end faces of the sleeve into mating sealing engagement with the rings and cause the body of the sleeve to grip and seal on one of said relatively rotatable members preventing relative rotary motion between the sleeve and said member and to exert pressure on the sealing surfaces, the frusto-conical face forming an acute angle relative to the gripped member.

3. In a seal the combination of a member hav-. ing an opening therethrough, a second member disposed in said opening, said members being relatively rotatable, means providing an annular sealing surface carried by one of said members and disposed substantially normalto the axis of said opening, a ringhaving a complementary sealing surface arranged to engage and seal on the first sealing surface, a frusto-coni'cal face on-the opposite side of the sealing ring, a rubber sleeve adjacent said ring and having end faces and a. radially disposed circumferential groove extending a substantial distance into the body of the sleeve which when free forms outwardly projecting flanges, a follower ring On the other side of the sleeve having a frusto-conical face opposed to the like face on the sealing ring, and means to urge the sleeve and the rings into engagement with the frusto conical surfaces deforming'the adjacent flanges without substantial axial -con--=-- traction of the sleeve and forcing the end faces the body of the sleeve to grip and seal on one of sai relatively rotatable members preventing relative rotary motion between the sleeve and said member and to exert pressure on the sealing surfaces, the frusto-conical faces forming an acute angle relative to the gripped memben,

4. The structure of claim 1 characterized in that said means providing the annular sealing surface is a ring separate from .and mounted in nonrotatable sealed relation with said first relae the sleeve to grip through the member engaging surface and seal on one of said relatively rotatable members preventing relative rotary motion between the sleeve and said member and to exert pressure on the sealing surfaces, the frusto-conical face of the ring forming an acute angle relative to the grippedmember to initially contact that portion of the sleeve end face remote of the [member engaging surface.

2. In a seal the combination of a member hav ing an opening therethrough, a secondmember disposed in said opening, said members being relatively rotatable, means providing an annular tively rotatable member. 5. The structure of that the angle of the sleeve face is greater than the angle of the adjacent frusto-conical face of the ring.

6. The structure of claim 1 characterized in that the angle of the sleeve face is greater than the angle of the adjacent frusto-conical face of the ring and the face on sleeve divergesfrom the face on the ring adjacent thereto.

WALTER GILBERT, 8n.

claim 1 characterized in the other end of the 

